Oswald f



0. F. JORDAN RAILWAY FROG.

Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

UNITED STATES arnnr rricE.

OSIVALD F. JORDAN, OF ST. THOMAS, ONTARIO, CANADA.

RAILWAY-=FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,149, dated December25, 1888.

Application filed septcmber 3, 1888. $erial No. 284,386. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OsWALD F. JORDAN, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at St. Thomas, county of Elgin, Province of Ontario,Canada, have invent-ed a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway-Frogs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,and in which- Figure 1 represents a plan view of a section ofrailway-track, showing my improved frog. Fig. 2 is a sectional view ofthe block used between the end of the spring-rail and the track. v

My invention relates to that class of railway-frogs known asspring-frogs, in which a spring-rail is adapted to yieldingly hug thetrack-rail.

As is well known, the spring-frogs now in use have the end of thespring-rail loose, and it has been found that this loose end was thecause of much annoyance and many accidents, as, for instance, the wheelsstriking the loose rounded end will soon wear a groove therein, andlight ears are apt to run up on this spring-rail and thus derail thecar. So, also, should any brake-gear be dragging, the loose end is aptto catch it and tear the gear from the car or the gear tear the looseend up, in either case causing accident. In my construction, however,this spring-rail is lengthened somewhat and the end rigidly secured at ashort distance laterally from the trackrail and at a slightly lowerlevel than the latter, as will be hereinafter shown, thus dispensingwith the objectionable loose end of the spring-rail.

In the drawings, A is the main-track rail, B the side-track rail, and athe frog or point of intersection of the two rails. O is thespring-rail, which is rigidly fastened at c, and from that point to thepoint 0 forms the maintrack rail. At the point 0 this spring-rail hasthe flange so dressed off that it will hug the frog through a shortdistance back from its point. At its end it is fastened to the trackrail B and held at a distance of some four inches, more or less, fromsaid traclcrail by a block, D, through which one or more bolts, 61,pass, thus holding the spring-rail firmly in place at this end. Thespringa'ail is thus fastened at both ends and the spring of the railitself will keep it close to the frog-point except when the flanges ofthe wheels of a passing car spring it laterally. Should the spring inthe rail be insufficient, an additional spring, E, may be employed toire-enforce it, although ordinarily the elasticity of the rail itselfwill SlllIlCG to keep it adjacent to the frog-point. The spring-rail Cmay also be given a greater or less amount of elasticity by shorteningor lengthening the distance between the point of contact with thefrog-point and the block by which it is fastened to the rail B, or bygiving the rail more or less curvature and not move the block.

The block D, used in fastening the end of the spring-rail, may be soshaped, as shown 111 Fig. 2, that the end of the said rail maybe kept ata slightly lower level than the trackrail, thus preventing this end fromhaving any up-and-down motion and causing accidents.

The many advantages of my improvement will now be understood.Heretofore, the end of the spring-rail being loose and a trainapproaching and striking this end quickly, gives it a sharp lateralmotion that has oftentimes broken the rail at the portion where theflange was dressed off, since the flange on the opposite side acts as aleverage to break the rail, whereas with my improvement, the end beingfastened, the lateral pressure on the middle of the rail reversed andthere is no flangeleverage to break the rail. So, also, by fastening thespring-rail at both ends it is prevented from being moved by thecreeping of the rails.

Another advantage derived is the formation of an effective foot-guard bythe block used in fastening the end of the spring-rail.

Still another advantage is the increased length of the spring-rail, thusenabling the rear truck of one car to keep the spring-rail open untilthe forward truck of the next car catches it.

IVhat I claim is- 1. In a railwayafrog mechanism, the combination, withthe mainand side track rails, of

a spring-rail rigidly fastened to and forming a part of the main railatone end and rigidly fastened at the other by means of the block D,substantially as described.

2. In a railway-frog mechanism, the combination, With the main and sidetrack rails, of a spring-rail fastened against horizontal movement atboth ends and adapted to have alateral motion toward the frog-point, anda reenforcing spring or springs, E, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-frog mechanism, the combination, With the main and sidetrack rails, of a spring-rail rigidly fastened to and forming a part ofthe main rail at one end and rigidly fastened at the other at a lowerlevel than the track-rail, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twoWitnesses.

OSWVALD F. JORDAN.

Witnesses: l

W. HORTON, WAIT HUNSINGER.

